Light On My Shoulder: Somebody to Trust
by belgiques
Summary: After 'Bad Reputation', Quinn struggles with her present and parts of her past that no one knows about. She finds herself confiding in Jesse, and vice versa. They help each other in a way no one else can. Quinn/Jesse friendship/romance. Somewhat AU.
1. Chapter 1: Jesse

**Jesse/Quinn - Light On My Shoulder (Somebody to Trust)**

"Can anybody find me somebody to love?"

Sure, we all love the song. It's almost impossible to be a Gleek and not like that particular Queen number. The anthem of Glee Club and one of the best New Directions performances; empowering, positive, genuine. But when you take the lyrics into consideration, you find something that doesn't always fit with the way we know the Glee crowd.

So forget that for a moment. Forget 'Somebody to Love'. What it's all about in the end (and in the beginning too) is _trust_. Can anyone find me somebody to trust?

Truthfully, it's become hard. Even among our beloved show choir, trust isn't always there. And that was exactly something both Quinn and Jesse desperately needed, desired, _deserved_.

And this is how they got it.

**1. JESSE**

He was hurt. Really, he was. And as much as he wanted to deny it, Rachel Berry had a strange effect on him. An effect he didn't want _anyone_ to have on him, and certainly not Rachel. That would mean he was subjected to something other than his dreams, that what normally pushed him forward each day, what he thought he was all about.

No, this time, real feelings got to him. Not that otherwise he was some kind of robot who had only felt joy when someone complimented him, felt anxious as he awaited a new review of a play he had done, felt sad when the sun didn't shine. He was only human, and just like everyone else, he had experienced every feeling of the spectrum. Well, all but one.

He had never cared for a girl like he cared for Rachel. When they had first met in the library and they did the duet of "Hello" together, he acted cocky, to say the least, but it was partly to hide his own nervosity.

This girl, talented to boot (he'd witnessed it firsthand at Sectionals, when he sat in the audience, _maybe_ getting a chill down his spine when she belted out "Don't Rain On My Parade"), easy on the eyes (oh, understatement); okay, more like beautiful, that dramaqueen quality they shared, ... This girl, she really liked him, and he liked her back. To sum up, he probably wouldn't come any closer to finding an equal.

But then there were things about her life that would always stand in their way. Namely, her two ex-boyfriends.

So when an overly-enthusiastic Rachel showed the somewhat uninterested Glee Club her rendition of "Run Joey Run", it felt as though someone had punched him full-on in the stomach. And while Puck and Finn had protested, he hadn't said a word, not wanting to throw things her way that he would regret later on.

But she had hurt him with it, more than she knew.

And so he felt he had the right to save his honor and stand up for himself. He walked up to her after Glee. She looked gorgeous, as always, but he had to ignore it. Still, his heart jumped at her hopeful smile when he neared her. But instead of letting it all go, taking her in his arms and just forgiving her, which was what he really wanted to do, he told her what was really bothering him about her attitude, about the way she handled their relationship. He'd asked around about her, and he shared what everyone had said.

"The interesting part was that even though no one particularly liked you, they all said that you were a person that could be trusted."

He listened to her arguments, her 'pathological need to be popular', and how she was if the idea that especially he would understand. And sure, on some level he did. As performers they were totally alike, but at that time, either he or she had become a different person. He needed to figure out who that was, what that meant for them and if they could still work. He hoped his findings would be positive. It wasn't his intention to stomp on her heart, but in order to move forward, this step needed to be taken.

"As the guy who gave up everything to be your one and only, I just can't see past this. I should have been enough for you, Rachel."

Her face fell this time and he knew by the way she blinked that she was trying to prevent emotion from taking over.

"I knew you'd break my heart." she simply said in a small voice. It was an unexpected reply that pushed his buttons and made a flicker of anger boil up inside him. No 'I'm sorry', no proposal to get past it, just her accusing him of breaking a promise.

"Well, that's the funny thing about reputations. Everyone thinks I'm the big heartbreaker, but the fact of the matter is, you broke mine first." he countered in a hushed voice, gazing in her eyes, but then straightening himself with that bit of confidence he seemed to hold somewhere all of the time.

"Do me a favor. If we end up next to each other in ballet, just do your arabesques and piques in silence. Don't talk to me." (That would be the easiest for both of them. Something had broken between them, he could feel it. Things wouldn't be the same anymore.)

With that, he brushed past her, managing to form a small smile for Tina and Mercedes who were eyeing him suspiciously. The bell rang that indicated the end of the school day and he walked down the hall with the rest of his fellow-students who were ready to go home.

But he wasn't sure if _he_ was.


	2. Chapter 2: Quinn

Thank you to the people for the first review and the story alerts. To be honest, I like this chapter more than I did the first one. Hopefully, you will to. Keep reading/reviewing! :)

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**2. QUINN**

She walked alone through the hallway after Glee Club was over. She mostly looked at the ground while searching for her locker, because she knew people were staring.

Lately they always were.

The same ones who used to peek at her with admiration, hoping to get a smile from her; they now hardly acknowledged she was there.

She leaned against her locker when she reached it and closed her eyes with a sigh. Today had been a gruesome day. First, that morning, the Glist that got spread around, which she felt absolutely terrible about. She'd never wanted to hurt anyone, especially not the Glee Clubbers - they'd been so nice to her, they supported her and defended her when she had lost it all.

And then the "Run Joey Run" fiasco.

By now, everyone was used to Rachel's eccentric personality, even Quinn had taking a liking in her. She was part of the group, they needed to stick together through everything that was about to happen. But... sometimes she needed to know her boundaries.

When Jesse joined the club, they were suspicious at first (even though they'd all accepted Rachel, they found it likely that the lead male singer of their biggest competition would give that all up for her. "Rachel probably wouldn't, at least not this soon." Mercedes had commented, and the others couldn't disagree.)

But Quinn too had seen the way he looked at her when she sang or said something clever, and how he walked with her through school, hands linked or with his arm tightly around her shoulder or waist, like he was the luckiest and proudest guy around. He'd have to be a pretty great actor to fake that all the time.

And thankfully, because of him, she'd left Puck alone. Quinn wanted him to be a good father-to-be so badly, and so far he had been there for her, gave her what she needed, but she knew he wasn't doing it fully committed. She sensed the obligation he felt and that broke her heart a little. To top that, living with him was a huge ordeal; his little sister, his mother that always gazed at her like she had ruined her son's life.

But strangely enough, she'd give anything to have her own mother look at her _at all_, to acknowledge her existence in some way. She missed someone to worry with her about giving birth, to comfort her when she was scared or when she had doubts (which she had all he time).

Quinn considered what her life had become and she had to make a huge effort not to break down in tears right there and then. All of sudden though, she felt someone patting her shoulder and her eyes shot open to find Mr. Schuester standing in front of her, asking her to follow him into his office.

She nodded and at first she walked behind him with her head bowed again, but he noticed this and put his hand on her back to move her beside him. She gave him a thankful smile, and although he was a good man, she found it somewhat sad that her Spanish teacher was the adult closest to being a parental figure in her life.

When she sat down, he looked at her with that sympathetic face he always had ready for her. But she sensed something different too. Her stomach tied into a knot and the baby kicked her on the inside, as if she knew what was coming. She'd been caught.

"I know you're behind the Glist." he simply said, and Quinn instantly replied in full-on defensive mode.

"You have no proof! I can't believe you're gonna pin this on me. I'll be expelled." she realized with an inch of fear in her voice. "I mean, it makes sense, everything else had been taken from me: my popularity, my body, might as well throw on my education."

But her pleas had no effect on him. He knew it had been her, because he could understand a bit how she felt. "It takes years to build a good reputation, but only seconds to destroy it. Couple bad choices and you go from the top to the bottom."

His words hit her hard and her defense wall started to crumble down a bit. When her lower lip started to tremble, Mr. Schue crouched down in front of her. "You have lost so much, Quinn. Which is why you had most to gain from the Glist."

Tears fell down her cheeks as she whispered the reason for her actions. "I never meant to hurt anybody. Before, I was captain of the cheerleading squad, president of the celibacy club, I had Finn... People would part like the red sea when I walked down the hallway. Now, I'm just invisible."

She thought that telling him all of this would made her feel better, that it would relieve some of her pain, but really, it only made her feel worse.

"So you'd rather have people look at you like you're some kind of cheap tramp?" he asked her.

She sucked in a breath (Was that really what he thought about her?) and she pulled a lock of hair behind her ear.

"A bad reputation is better than no reputation at all." she decided, but Mr. Schue shook his head and sighed. He wanted to tell her that she was wrong, that what she thought of herself was much more important than any other worry she might have. However, principal Figgins came in and commanded him to come along, eyeing Quinn suspiciously when she was told to wait there in his office.

The truth was, she didn't want to stay there a second longer. She had heard enough and it had only contributed to this abysmal day. So Quinn got up, struggling of course with her baby bump in the way. She put her hand on it gently as she wiped some remaining tears away with her sleeve.

She ended up in the choir room without even deciding to go there. Naturally, it was empty, as everyone had left already, but she spotted Brad the piano player's sheet music still lying around. So she settled behind the large piano and flipped through the pages. She had figured that everyone in Glee surely had their secrets, and playing the piano was definitely hers. A few summers before, she'd taught herself how to play, and safe to say, she had a knack for it.

So she started playing her heart out and in the process formed her own mash-up. The well-known first notes of Britney Spears' 'I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman' rang through the room as she took a deep, loaded breath and sang the lyrics.

_"I used to think I had the answers to everything.  
But now I know life doesn't always go my way, yeah...  
It feels like I'm caught in the middle, that's when I realized.  
I'm not a girl, not yet a woman.  
All I need is time, a moment that is mine, while I'm in between..."_

(Mika - I See You)  
_"And I'm sitting across from you, and dreaming of the things I'd do.  
But I don't speak, you don't know me at all.  
For fear of what you might do, I say nothing but stare at you.  
And I'm dreaming, I'm tripping over you.  
Truth be told, my problems solved.  
You mean the world to me but you'll never know.  
You could be cruel to me, while we're risking the way that I see you...  
I see you..."_

And then she smoothly transitioned to a bit of Kelly Clarkson. She sung in crescendo and put every emotion she felt into it.

_"I will not make the same mistakes that you did.  
I will not let myself cause my heart so much misery.  
I will not break the way you did, you fell so hard.  
I learned the hard way to never let it get far.  
Because of you, I never strayed too far from the sidewalk.  
Because of you, I learned to play on the safe side so I don't get hurt.  
Because of you, I find it hard to trust not only me but everyone around me.  
Because of you, I am afraid..."_

She then added the part of the song she had never wanted or dared to sing aloud. The part of her life no one knew about.

_"You watched me die, you heard me cry every night in my sleep.  
I was so young, you should've known better than to lean on me.  
You never thought of your own child, you just saw your pain.  
And now I cry in the middle of the night for the same damn thing.  
Because of you, ooh, because of you..."_

She'd changed the lyrics, singing what she'd never been able to say and the words hit the blonde girl like a brick wall. She let the tears fall freely but then she was startled by someone clapping from the doorway.


	3. Chapter 3: Meeting, Quinn

_Thank you to the people who put the story on alert, but I would love you way more if you left a review. It doesn't have to be a whole book, but an "I like it" or something like that really makes my day, and only makes me post faster. This chapter is part one of two (which is why this is a relatively short one); this one from Quinn's POV, what happens after this is from Jesse's. Let's see, if I get 10 reviews, I'll post the next one. So spread the word! ;) Thanks for reading, it means a lot!_

**3. MEETING - QUINN**

She turned around abruptly, her cheeks wet and her eyes a bit puffy. She quickly dried them as she realized who was smiling at her. However, his smile faded when he saw her expression.

"Jesse." she acknowledged him, immediately trying to distract him. She made the mistake of smiling awkwardly at him, which she never did.

She wasn't sure it they'd ever had an actual conversation.

"How long have you been standing there?" she wanted to know.

He still eyed her in suspicion but walked closer to her, a smile forming on his lips. He looked upbeat, as always, even after two hours of PE and an equally exhausting hour of Glee.

"Long enough to see and hear that you are good. Really good. Your piano could use some coaching but I have to admit, I'm impressed. I didn't know you could sing like that either." he admitted as he moved to sit next to her behind the piano.

In return to his statement, she scowled.

"That's because your girlfriend and Mercedes get all the leads. Mr. Schue seems to think that being pregnant has affected my voice or capability." she spoke honestly, and she definitely noticed the change in his eyes when she mentioned Rachel.

"Did I say something wrong?" she wondered, absent-mindedly running her fingers along the keys.

He hesitated a bit, but told her anyway.

"l... Rachel and I are... to say it with an overly-used TV show quote, we're on a break."

His attempt to be cocky didn't disguise the fact that he obviously felt bad about it. Quinn was surprised at this. The two of them were so alike, she thought they'd never even fight about something.

Maybe, the earlier practice had been hard on him too. She asked him if that was the reason. He nodded and then shook his head more or less.

"Partly." Some more hesitation came over his face before he made up his mind. "Let me ask you something. Has she always been like that with Finn ?"

"You mean the constant staring and her need to always duet with him? Pretty much, yeah. Even when everyone still thought this baby was Finn's." she told him, nodding at her baby bump.

She took in his defeated face and tried to comfort him.

"You know, I'm sorry to have to say this, but with Rachel, you'll always be competing against Finn. Honestly, if this was a movie or a teen drama, they'd probably be endgame. You need to decide if you're ready to fight for her. And if not, you can be proud of the fact that you were the first one to tame her in some way."

She grinned and he chuckled at her response.

"If anyone understands what it's like to be between Finn and Rachel, it's me. In any case, you'll be just fine." She concluded. He nodded in understanding and she could see by the look in his eyes that he'd already made up his mind about the whole thing. She just didn't know in what way.

Then looked at her and a genuine smile formed on his features. All of a sudden he held out his hand acted somewhere between joking and serious. "Hi, I'm Jesse St. James. I believe we haven't met yet."

She wanted to laugh at him so bad in that moment, how he sat there with that boyish grin, like he didn't know they'd been in the same Glee Club for over two weeks now. But she didn't laugh. She got his point; he'd been an outsider for the past weeks and they didn't know each other at all. Nobody did. Only their reputations proceeded them, and as they both had found out, there was a lot more to a person than just that.

Still, she chuckled and then shook his hand. "I'm Quinn Fabray, and I believe we just did."

"So, what are you still doing here?" she tried after a few seconds of him doing a few notes on the piano.

"Mostly dreading to go to ballet in about an hour." he admitted, still playing. When he saw her questioning look he added "Rachel and I take the same class." and it made sense immediately.

"And what about you? Most people I know don't stay behind after school to perform pretty great mash-ups by themselves, where no one can hear it." he wanted to add something, but he wasn't sure how she'd react.

Quinn felt her cheeks burn when he asked that. What was she supposed to say? 'Oh, it's nothing, I was just thinking about my horrible past and the words just spilt out of me.' Yeah, right.

But... There was something about him that almost brought her to tell him everything, all the things that were on her mind. But again, she didn't.

"Oh, it was nothing. Mr. Schue wanted to talk to me." she told him casually, but he knew better.

"About the Glist?" Her jaw tightened when he suggested that and he nodded in understanding.

"I kinda figured it was you. Mostly because you put yourself and Puck at the top and Rachel at the bottom. Doesn't really make for a tight alibi."

"I just want my old life back, you know." She all of sudden told him. It wasn't quite what she _wanted _to share, but it was one thing she could get off her chest.

"My body, cheerleading, my reputation. From now on, I'll just be 'Quinn the former head cheerleader and president of the celibacy club who became pregnant and lost it all'. Everything I worked for is gone." she finished and she looked away from him as her voice broke and her lip trembled.

For a while they just sat there, she didn't hear a word from him, but when he spoke it was carefully thought through, she could tell.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4: Meeting, Jesse

_Thank you all so much for the reviews, the non-FF users too! I never expected that and it made my week! So as promised, here's the rest of the chapter. Jesse/Quinn really seems to be getting noticed now and it warms my heart, haha. Keep reading and reviewing, thanks & enjoy!_

**3. MEETING - JESSE**

_"I just want my old life back, you know." She all of sudden told him. It wasn't quite what she wanted to share, but it was one thing she could get off her chest. _

_"My body, cheerleading, my reputation. From now on, I'll just be 'Quinn the former head cheerleader and president of the celibacy club who became pregnant and lost it all'. Everything I worked for is gone." she finished and she looked away from him as her voice broke and her lip trembled. _

_For a while they just sat there, she didn't hear a word from him, but when he spoke it was carefully thought through, she could tell._

He quickly revised the things he could say but decided to just speak from the heart. He felt a strange connection to her. Not 'weird' strange, but 'unexpected' strange. He felt like he wanted to protect her.

"In a few years, you won't give a damn about reputations anymore. You'll be so over it you'll regret you ever cared. What you do or how you live your life should be your own decision, not about wanting to please all the rest. Sure, we'll want people to like and respect us, but not so much as now. It won't define us. We should all be like that now too. Who cares what people think?" he said, fired up, a little disappointed about what she thought was important.

"I do", she admitted silently, still with her back turned to him. She recalled something that'd just happened.

"Mr. Schue asked me if I'd rather have people look at me like I'm a cheap tramp than a nobody... So if that's what a teacher, our director, thinks of me, I can't even imagine what everyone else thinks..." she trailed off, her voice once again quivering with emotion.

Jesse could see her shoulders shaking. He felt extremely uncomfortable around crying women (except for Rachel, but he'd only seen her cry fake tears when she wanted something from him). And to top that, Quinn was a _pregnant_ crying woman.

He felt so sorry for her. No pity, just sad that this was what she thought of herself. She was a mother-to-be and he wanted her to be able to tell her baby that there were amazing things to life, that is was all worth it.

He put aside the fact that she probably wouldn't accept any consoling from him, and tried anyway. He moved his hand to lay on her back, and for a second she flinched, but she didn't shake it off like he had expected.

He rubbed her back gently which caused her to turn towards him again. He gave her a compassionate smile and looked into her blue eyes when he spoke, so she was sure he meant what he said.

"Look, Quinn, I know almost nothing about your situation with the baby and Puck, but I do know that no one with a little humanity in them sees you that way. Especially not anyone in Glee, and certainly not Mr. Schue. That man cares for all of us, and between you and me, he has no reason to judge anyone."

He grinned and she returned it weakly, still not convinced. So he continued.

"You made a mistake. There's no denying that, but you are taking responsibility in a way that none of the other Cheerios would. You kept your baby. You could've put an end to it, but you didn't and in my book, that makes you the bigger person in all of this. And it you decide you're not ready to be a mom, then that's okay. You will be the person that makes a couple become parents. That might just be one of the best feelings in the world. You could and should be proud of that, too."

A smile started to form on her lips. She gazed at him as he considered telling her something else, which he did. He shifted a bit more towards her before he started to talk.

"l'll let you in on something. My mother was seventeen when she got pregnant with me. So she was almost the same age as you."

Quinn's look was one of uttermost amazement, but she let him continue.

"At first, she wanted to give me away. My father wanted nothing to do with my mom – or me - anymore, so she was all alone. She was scared to death. Worried she wasn't ready, not strong enough, not mature enough, not _worthy_ to be a mother I guess. But in the end she couldn't do it. Her parents were against it, disowned her, but she found support in one of her friends. Then I was born. And seventeen years later, my mom and I couldn't be much closer. And in a lot of ways, you already remind me of her, Quinn. And that's a good thing. You'll be okay. Trust me."

He could see her eyes glistening with tears throughout the story, and by that he knew he had hit a nerve. He'd voiced her fears and knowing that it could work out, lifted a huge load off her shoulders.

"But you know, we are in Glee central right now, and I am Jesse St. James, so instead of talking to you, I should sing to you." he decided, putting his fingers in position on the keys.

Quinn chuckled when he started to play, recognizing the melody, but he replied with a 'just-wait-and-listen' look.

"It's a girl, right?" he paused, throwing a look at her belly. She nodded and he told her "I hope your baby will sing this to you when the time comes..."

(Miley Cyrus – Butterfly Fly Away)  
_"You tucked me in, turned out the light.  
Kept me safe and sound at night, little girls depend on things like that.  
Brushed my teeth and combed my hair, had to drive me everywhere.  
You were always there when I looked back.  
And when I couldn't sleep at night, scared things wouldn't turn out right,  
you would hold my hand and sing to me:_

_Caterpillar in the tree, how you wonder who you'll be.  
Can't go far but you can always dream.  
Wish you may and wish you might, don't you worry, hold on tight.  
I promise you that there will come a day...  
Butterfly fly away."_

Quinn was in tears again, but this time they were happy tears. This meant the world to her, but she couldn't say it and she didn't know if he knew it. The song seemed to move him too, that would be the only explanation for the fact that he wasn't talking anymore.

For a moment they looked at each other, and something just... happened there.

Good thing for them both that just then, Mr. Schue walked into the room and stopped mid track at the sight of the two of _them_ at the piano. Little did they know that he had been listening to Jesse singing, but he wasn't aware of the fact that Quinn was there with him.

"Jesse, I'm sorry to interrupt, but I need to talk to Quinn." he said and he watched Jesse facing Quinn and just squeezing her upper arm a bit, then standing up and moving towards the door.

"That's okay, I have to leave anyway. Bye, Quinn. It was very nice talking to you. Mr. Schue, see you tomorrow." he answered in that typical St. James way, smiling at Quinn and nodding at Schue before walking out.


	5. Chapter 5: Revision, Quinn

**4. REVISION, QUINN**

As it turns out, there wouldn't be consequences for the Glist. Mr. Schue had convinced principal Figgins of the fact that he had no idea who had posted it, and ultimately he had let it go.

Her teacher dropped her off at Puck's, and without answering any of his questions, she went upstairs and laid down on her bed.

She thought about what had happened in the choir room today. She never intended for Jesse to hear those songs, especially the one with the changed lyrics. He couldn't _not_ have noticed, he was Jesse, practically a human jukebox. Although it boggled her that he hadn't said anything about it. He didn't ask one question. Maybe he didn't dare to, or maybe he just didn't care. (She didn't consider the last option when she recalled his questioning and sad look at her tearstained face when he came in)

But then he said all of those amazingly sweet things to her and she... She hadn't even thanked him. Her stomach turned at that thought. Could she have been more ungrateful?

She would do it the next day, in Glee. She wanted to. After all, he'd made her feel way better about everything.

She had a huge amount of admiration for Jesse's mom.

She had always looked up to Finn's mother, but unlike Jesse's mother, Carole had pregnant with Finn when she was happily married to Mr. Hudson.

But his mother had done everything on her own, _everything_; from finding a place to live over giving birth to raising her boy. Even though she was helped by someone, still, she had to make all her decisions alone when she was a teenager.

Just like Quinn.

Other than in his words, she found reassurance in the fact that Jesse had turned out fine, even without a father or stable environment. Even more, he and his mother apparently were super-close. Flashbacks of Quinn with her own mother entered her mind; silent dinners because Quinn hadn't earned an A+ on that one test or because she had talked back to her father, Quinn in her first school play and neither of her parents were there to see it, ...

Come to think of it, she had spent more time with the babysitter than with her mother when she was younger.

She had had all the things Jesse had lacked, what she thought were necessary for a child to be happy, and her parents had ditched her when she needed them the most. After all she'd been through at age 13.

She blocked the thoughts about that time out of her head before she grew sick to her stomach again. Talk about happy.

She got up and did her English Literature homework in a daze, skimming through chapter 5 of 'Midsummer night's dream' while taking notes and highlighting the important parts. She was proud of the fact that despite of her problems, she managed to still keep up her 4.0 GPA.

She wanted to do something with her life, go to college, maybe become a lawyer or something, and nothing would keep her from doing that. Even if she would decide to keep the baby she would find a way to combine it all. (She changed her mind about the baby every other second, but she figured she would be given a sign somewhere down the line.)

Even with Puck's protests that she needed to eat enough for their baby, Quinn skipped dinner and she listened to her iPod for a bit while reading a few more chapters of her book, but she couldn't really concentrate on either.

Jesse's voice was stuck inside her head, and she downloaded the song he'd performed for her. She was listening to a Hannah Montana song on repeat, she thought to herself with a grin, but it made her feel almost as good as earlier that day. Almost; _his_ voice made it better.

At about 10 o'clock, she got under the covers and closed her eyes, and for the first time in a while, she fell fast and sound asleep within minutes.

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_This is a very very short chapter, I know! But I'm kind of having a tiny case of writer's block for these chapters, so I'll probably speed things up a bit. Thanks so much for all the reviews, the anons too! It means everything, so thank you. Please keep reading and reviewing!_


	6. Chapter 6: Revision, Jesse

_Thanks for continuing to support me and this story! Here's Jesse's thoughts after meeting Quinn. Next up will be some more Glee Club/JQ interaction. :D Please keep reading and reviewing! Thank you all so much._

**5. Revision, Jesse**

Jesse left the choir room in a hurry after Mr. Schue came in. He wasn't sure what that had been, but it was something. Out of all the Glee kids, she was the last one he ever thought to have a real conversation with, let alone maybe build a friendship with.

But it had happened, and it had been the two of them. It was real and from now on, _they_ were real. Whatever they turned out to be.

He walked through the hallway to his locker to grab some books for that night's homework.

He was all alone in the hallway, literally everyone had left, except maybe the principal and coach Sylvester. He figured she would be outlining Cheerios routines while thinking of some witty insults to throw at them. But Sue didn't scare him. He was a senior, no way a _teacher_ could intimidate him. Especially not one who apparently had some kind of personal vendetta against their director.

But still, he had heard about some of the things she had done to his teammates. She'd kicked Quinn of the Cheerios right after she found out she was pregnant, divided all of them into a minority and non-minority group and tried to pit them against each other, … Every way possible to take New Directions down.

But it didn't work. Nothing had worked. Instead, most of her attempts had only brought them closer together. Last week when Mercedes was pressured by Sue to lose weight, she'd found support in Quinn, whom before she had barely spoken to. The whole Madonna episode had smoothed things over between the boys and the girls, so if he thought about it, they were 'lucky' she hated them.

In the distance he heard Mr. Schuester talking to Quinn, however he didn't hear her voice once. He wondered what Schue was saying to her. Hopefully she wouldn't be punished for making the Glist. She had enough problems as it was, and he knew she was just insecure about herself.

He knew by the way she had listened to his story that he had answered some of her inner dilemma's. He knew she'd like his mother. Even though his mom was more free-spirited than Quinn was now, he could quickly pinpoint the similarities between them.

Maybe, if their friendship progressed (which he now realized, he hoped that it would), he would take Quinn to meet her. To give her some peace of mind.

And all that time after school, he had barely thought about the drama with Rachel. Not that the blonde girl was just a distraction, some charity case to make him feel good about himself, no; he sensed a certain feeling when he looked at her, protective and compassionate.

He wasn't sure why that was but honestly, he didn't even care.

He decided there that he wasn't going to go to ballet. Rachel would simply have to manage without him. He wanted to make sure Quinn was okay. However, he didn't want to push it by waiting for her outside the choir room.

Instead, his feet dragged him to the parking lot where he got in his car and waited there. He figured she would have to leave school eventually, and since there were always some cars parked there he wouldn't stand out. Although he felt a bit creepy sitting there staring at the entrance of his school, he shoved that feeling away when she finally came out together with Mr. Schue.

She was smiling. They both were. Jesse took that as a good sign, she certainly wasn't expelled then. Schue guided her to his car, which meant she had a ride home, something he would've offered otherwise.

He drove home a few minutes after they left and he found the house to be empty. His uncle wasn't home once again; on the one hand he could do whatever he wanted, but on the other hand he was _alone_, once again.

Especially now that he'd broken up with Rachel (it was the first time he had used that term in his head) he could've used someone to talk to.

He did his homework while eating a deep-freeze pizza, concentrating on his French assignment for the full length of 10 minutes. Luckily he had a natural talent for languages; most of it he simply had to read a couple times in order to remember it.

Still, there was one thing that was in the back of his mind.

Quinn singing. For a moment he had been captivated by her voice. Sure, she was a little rough around the edges and her vocal talents weren't as developed as Rachel's, but her voice had something special. She already had a soft, lingering speaking voice, but when she sang, something was added to that. Something he couldn't quite place, but liked anyhow.

And then there was the Kelly Clarkson song. It was a classic, so of course he knew it by heart. _Her _lyrics had hit a nerve with him. She'd sounded so broken.

He had wanted to ask her about it, understand what they meant, but something stopped him. Her expression, probably. One of total shock, like she'd been caught.

He hoped that she wouldn't think he just wanted to ignore it, that her tears were of no importance to him. Right now, there wasn't much he could do about that.

He promised himself he would talk to her about it eventually, when the time was right.

After doing the dishes (old school, 'cause the dishwasher was broken), he clicked through the channels and came to the conclusion that again, there was nothing interesting on tv. Nothing that had some entertaining value anyway.

Deciding on a DVD wasn't that difficult.'Friends' always lightened his mood. The theme song rang in his ears and instinctively he sang along while running to the kitchen to get himself a soda.

By the end of the night, he had finished half a season, but his encounter with Quinn never left the back (and occasionnally the front) of his mind.


	7. Chapter 7: Going On

_Two story updates in one day, I am rather proud of myself. Again, I apologize for this long and overtaking writer's block. I hope I'm back on track now, so enjoy!_

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When Quinn and Jesse got ready for school the next day, neither of them knew that they were practically reenacting Daniel Powter's 'Bad Day', waking up at the same time and going about the same ritual - although maybe that wasn't that special, but still. And coincidentally, they were thinking about each other too. Not in an "Oh my, I wonder what he/she's doing right now" way, but as if they were still unsure about their conversation of the day before. If someone had said they had dreamed the whole thing, they both probably would've accepted it and moved on.

But when Quinn reached the kitchen, fully clothed and ready to go, Puck had asked if she felt better and she recalled his worried looks from last night when she said she wasn't hungry. In reality, her head had been too full of thoughts and if she thought about it, her stomach had turned. In a weird way. She didn't trust it at all.

She nodded yes and it was the truth, she _did_ feel better. Everything had been out in the open, at least for once.

On the ride to school the two of them discussed the latest Glee practices and their classes, and she found herself actually having fun while talking to him.

Maybe there was hope for him yet.

Jesse didn't know what to expect when he got to school. A couple of Rachel's best stares or longing looks? A punch from Finn? Whatever. He was going to take it all, for he was Jesse St. James and his show face never let him down.

Since he was a senior, he could spend every class not worrying about having to see her. For lunch, he decided to go out, since he was allowed to and he didn't want to seem desperate by not knowing who to sit with. He would be above of all that. And he was. Right?

The day passed quietly for both Jesse and Quinn, who aced a pop quiz on the new chapter of the book and had two periods of gym time to kill (rope climbing and tumbling wasn't for her anymore). Luckily she'd been able to do her homework already, so more free time that night. Maybe she'd work on a number for Glee.

When rehearsal neared, their nerves woke up and returned full-force. How would they react to each other?

Neither of them was sure what to do.

As it turns out, Jesse arrived in the choir room moments before she did, so she occupied the vacant chair next to him, with Kurt on the other side of her.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw her shift uncomfortably before turning to him and genuinely smiling at him again.

"Hi." she greeted and he couldn't help but grin slightly at her cute tone.

"Good morning. How you doing?" he asked nonchalantly, but to his surprise she started to giggle. He saw Kurt shooting Quinn a weird glance, but she didn't seem to care. She turned to him a bit more and asked him if he knew what he'd just asked her.

He furrowed his eyebrows and looked confused. "I asked how you were doing." he said obviously.

"Haven't you ever watched Friends? 'How you doin'?' It's a classic quote. You just tried to seduce me." she challenged him, and for a second he didn't know what to reply. Kurt was still following their conversation with a smirk on his face.

"I don't watch sitcoms. They don't teach you anything." he replied firmly, and Quinn raised an eyebrow at him.

"Really? I think, if you search hard enough, you can always find a lesson, in everything. Whether it's musicals or sitcoms."

He smiled at her cheesiness and nodded anyway. "Okay, I give up. You're right." he told her, raising his arms.

She smiled victoriously and leaned back into the chair. "And to answer your question, I'm fine." she added quickly before Mr. Schue began to speak and rehearsal began.

When rehearsal had ended, Jesse still hadn't said a word to Rachel and he thought it was for the best. They both had the chance to cool down a bit.

He left as quickly as possible but was stopped as Quinn called his name when he almost reached the door. He turned around and saw her walking towards him (and everybody else staring at them).

She had her bag around her shoulder and he felt an urge to take it from her. But he just listened.

"Um, I wanted to thank you. You really helped me yesterday. I felt pretty good last night, considering everything. So, thanks." she said, a tad uncomfortable.

"You're welcome. Anytime, okay? See you tomorrow, Quinn." he answered kindly, not wanting to stretch the conversation too long due to her obvious loss of words. She nodded before he left and walked towards his locker once more.

"Hey!" he heard someone call, and he didn't even have to look to see who it was.

"Is there something wrong, Kurt?" Jesse asked the boy friendly when he came up to him with suspicion in his eyes.

"Look, I don't know what you and Quinn mean, but I want to warn you." he told him, but Jesse interrupted.

"l'm sorry, but we've had one conversation. We don't _mean _anything." It hurt him a little to say that, but after all it was the truth. Maybe they were on the way to being friends, but that wasn't something, _yet_.

Kurt didn't seem convinced. "Just saying. Look, we all know Rachel is high-maintenance, but whatever happened hurt her. Me and Mercedes don't want that to happen to Quinn. She's too vulnerable right now."

By his tone and the way he looked at him made clear that he meant it. He knew that her and Mercedes were starting to become friends, but apparently it had formed fast.

"l have no intention of hurting her. She's a nice girl. That's all." Jesse explained, not wanting to share too much.

Kurt nodded. "Okay. I believe you, for now. Until tomorrow, Jesse." he added in that dramatic tone of his, which made him smirk unintentionally. With that, Kurt left and when Jesse looked around, he saw Quinn carefully smile at him.

He closed his locker and waved at her before leaving in the opposite direction.

The next day, as every two days, Jesse and Quinn had English Lit together. That only was because she was a class (or two) ahead, and he could see it every class - she aced every test, homework, assignment.

That morning though, she walked into the classroom appearing extremely tired; she had small bags under her eyes and they looked red and puffy. A sign of crying too.

She peeked around and walked up to Jesse. Normally they would sit next to each other as well, but the only reason for it was because she didn't know anyone else. However, more than a polite smile or occasional question they hadn't shared.

"Is this seat taken?" she asked him, waiting his response a little impatiently.

He nodded 'no' and she dropped her bag next to the chair, exhaling heavily. He smiled at her, which made her sigh once more.

"I'm sorry." she said, "l didn't mean to be rude."

"Tough night?" Jesse wanted to know, although he already knew the answer.

"Very." she simply replied, not wanting to get further into it, which he respected. "And I had a doctor's appointment that ran way too late. I didn't even have time to read this chapter properly."

And because fate always sides with you, Mr. Lynch came in and announced a quiz on the two previous chapters. Quinn paled instantly and it seemed as though she was going to be sick.

"Quinn, calm down. You don't look so good." he told her, but she ignored his comments.

"I need to keep my grades up! If my parents find out I failed a test..."

"I'm sorry to say this, but do you think they'd do _anything_? They don't really have to right to criticize you. And even if they did, you don't need to care what they think."

Quinn looked at him for a moment and her appearance gave away that she was about to throw up as Mr. Lynch passed around the sheets of paper. Jesse's gaze was locked on her for a few seconds when she read the questions and her eyes got watery. He filled out the test with ease (because Lit was one of his best subjects too) and from his left he steadily heard frustrated grunts. He figured the hormones were only making her temper worse.

"Last minute, everyone." Lynch announced after a while, the noise of quickly added notes could be heard through the classroom.

Jesse considered his decision for a moment, and he checked to see if their teacher was watching before carefully sliding his sheet towards Quinn. She gave him a questioning and warning glance when he took hers and wiped out her name with his pencil, trying to imitate her handwriting a bit. (Not that she'd written a lot though.)

The bell rang as Lynch collected the tests and at the mean time the room cleared out. Quinn was still picking up her things, but she immediately followed Jesse out the door and grabbed his shoulder.

"Why did you do that?"

"Clearly, you needed help." he retorted a bit cocky.

"Don't give me that attitude. I know I failed it. But you didn't have to do that. You didn't even have a chance to correct it, now you'll have failed and I feel awful about it." she said with a slight quiver in her voice. Damn those baby hormones.

Jesse sighed. "I didn't mean to offend you or anything, but I think you need it more than I do. I'll pick it up, and so you will you. Don't mention it." He reassured her, squeezing her shoulder lightly.

"I feel like I'm always thanking you. Again, I really appreciate you being so nice to me."

She hesitantly leaned in and kissed his cheek softly before smirking and leaving before he had a chance to reply.

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_Voilà, I truly hope you like it and you'll continue to follow this story. Thank you for the support, it means the world! Keep reading & reviewing, please. :D_


	8. Chapter 8: Mom

Here I am again with another chapter. It's been so long and I can't apologize enough, but I had the worst case of writer's block in my life. With Jesse not being on Glee anymore (Why?) I had a little trouble but I'm back now! Thank you for everyone who reviewed, story alerted and favorited, even long after it was post. It means the world to me. Enjoy and let me know what you think!

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"This bench taken?"

Quinn's head shot up, startled out of her thoughts, to see Jesse standing in front of her with a hesitant look apparent on his face. She needed a moment to remember where she was. She'd been so concentrated on her book she didn't even notice him come up all the way up the bleachers.

She smiled and replied silently by taking away her bag from next to her before he sat down. It was a sunny day and not too far from the bleachers she could see her classmates playing basketball. Finn and Puck's glances didn't go unnoticed for the both of them.

"Looks like you have your bodyguards watching over you." Jesse commented, only a small hint of amusement in his voice. Quinn felt bad for him, always being watched as someone not to trust.

"Yeah. I think it's the whole 'pregnant girl alone on the bleachers when a guy walks up' thing." she replied smiling when she saw them looking again. "They're a little apprehensive when it comes to you. And me. Don't worry, I'll talk to them about it."

He nodded thankfully and picked up the notebook in which she was writing. "Midsummer night's dream?" He grinned.

"I have to catch up on chapter 6, remember?" she teased, nudging him in the side.

"I vaguely recall it, yes."

The dimpled smile he gave her would be the death of her sometime, she was sure of it.

"Shouldn't you be in class right now?" she wondered, a tad self-conscious because of his intent gaze. She knew it was a stupid question, but coherent sentences didn't seem to form in her brain.

"I'm a senior, Quinn, I barely have classes anymore." he joked, casually stretching out his legs in front of him. The sun was shining brightly and she'd enjoyed just sitting there, maybe even tanning a bit. In Ohio, you never knew.

She scowled at his remark but said nothing and for a few minutes they remained quiet. Puck was still looking their direction and for some reason, she felt a sting of guilt. She didn't know why, they were nothing more than friends; Puck was with Santana. Finally, she sighed and turned back to Jesse.

"What are you _really_ doing here, Jesse? Not that I don't appreciate your company, but..."

"I was thinking," he said quickly, gazing towards her classmates on the field, "you have this and next period off, and me too, so I want to take you somewhere. If it's okay, I want you to meet my mom."

She didn't see that one coming, that's for sure. She gaped at him, a little terrified as well.

"You... want me to meet your _mom_?" she asked uncertainly, all sorts of horror scenarios forming in her mind.

"I believe that's what I just said, yes. So, what do you think? It might be good for you to talk to someone who's been there... Who knows what you're going through." He looked at her with that immense amount of comfort he seemed to radiate.

She remembered their first conversation and what he'd said about his mother; pregnant at 17, abandoned by her family when she needed them the most. Basically, it was Quinn's life story at the moment. Except for one vital difference; she had Puck. He hadn't left her, even if she'd lied to him, he still took her in and looked after her. Well, he tried.

Quinn liked Puck's mom, but she couldn't really talk to her. What did she really have to lose? She nodded her consent and unconsciously bit her lip, nervous already.

"There's just one problem. My mom doesn't exactly live in Lima right now." he added carefully, glancing at her.

An hour later, they arrived at the Victorian style house that left Quinn wide-eyed for a moment, before Jesse opened the car door for her and lead her to the front door.

"Okay, first, because of you I will miss last period and if I miss a test, I _will_ need to murder you. And second, you could've mentioned your mother lived in _this_ house. I feel seriously underdressed." she admitted, gazing down at her simple sundress with leggings.

"First," he mimicked her while tapping her nose, "I checked your schedule with Kurt and he said there's no way you'd have a quiz for Spanish. Otherwise, he'd just cover for you with Mr. Schue. Second, you look just fine, as always. My mom's not uptight or anything. She raised _me_, remember?"

She raised her eyebrows at him, biting back a comment. He rang the bell and soon a woman who was almost a fitting image of Jesse opened the door. She looked younger than Quinn had expected; of course she had to keep in mind that this woman was only 35.

"Hi, mom." Jesse grinned when his mother shrieked and launched herself at her son, hugging him tightly.

"Oh my boy, I missed you. What a wonderful surprise. But, wait a minute." She checked her watch and narrowed her eyes at him. "Aren't you supposed to be in school right now, young man? If you're skipping, I'll send your behind straight back." she warned him, although not very convincingly, with her smiling eyes. Quinn liked her already.

"I have two free periods, and I came for a reason. I brought someone. Mom, meet Quinn Fabray. Quinn, this is my mother Brooke."

Brooke turned her attention to Quinn and realization dawned on her. She grabbed Quinn's offered hand with her both and smiled warmly at her. "Nice to meet you, Quinn. I've heard so much about you."

Jesse shot his mom a warning look, which she ignored. She invited them in and headed for what Quinn noticed was the kitchen as Jesse moved to the living room. The first thing she saw were the mass of pictures all around. As she looked closer she recalled what Jesse had said about his father; he was nowhere to be seen in any of the pictures. All she saw were pictures of Jesse, and of him with Brooke. Occasionally with other children and adults which she guessed were friends.

"Cute kid." she commented, pointing to a kindergarten picture of him. He chuckled as he sat down on the couch and motioned for her to sit down too.

"Well, Jesse rarely brings home girls so you must be special. And as far as I can see, you are." Brooke said when she returned with drinks and settled in front of them. She glanced at Quinn's baby bump and Jesse noticed she was a bit uncomfortable, shooting his mom a look again.

"Oh no, I don't mean anything negative by it. Lord knows some people do, but you'll see or hear no judgment from me." She smiled warmly, handing them something to drink.

"I didn't assume that, but thank you. It's just that I haven't talked to an adult who's not mad at me or rude to me. Besides Mr. Schuester, but he doesn't count." Quinn replied, a sad smile on her face.

"That's why I brought her, Mom. I was hoping you'd talk to her for a bit. Quinn's had a rough time lately and you can relate, so..."

"Of course. It's my pleasure. But I'm afraid you'll need to occupy yourself somewhere else for a moment, Jesse. There's only so much women can talk about with guys around, or _sons_." Brooke told him, winking at Quinn. Now she understood where Jesse got that calming quality from.

He got the not-so-subtle hint and left to "visit his old room". "No embarrassing childhood stories or baby pictures, or I'll emancipate myself!" he added loudly from the hallway.


	9. Chapter 9: Mom II

An hour later, Quinn felt as though a ton was lifted off her shoulders.

She had literally poured her heart out to Brooke, who had listened to every part of her sometimes incoherent stories, sharing her own with the girl before her. Quinn voiced all her doubts, concerns and uncertainties and the woman never let that sparkle in her eyes falter. It was the most reassuring thing she'd seen since Jesse's smile.

When they were ready to leave (and Jesse had returned from his room rather quickly - a little _too_ quick), Quinn was wearing a genuine and full smile, something she hadn't done in a while.

They were almost at the door when Brooke turned to her once more.

"Look, Quinn. I want you to know something. Things may be hard now, but as I look back at it all, Jesse's still the best thing that ever happened to me. In the end, it was all worth it. So you just need to stay strong and you'll do great."

Quinn couldn't keep the tears from falling after that. She stepped forward and hugged Brooke tightly.

That was all she ever needed to hear.

Until that moment, she had never believed she could do this, at least not without begging her parents to take her back in. But the fact that this woman had faith in her meant more to Quinn than any of her parents' approval.

Brooke let out a small chuckle before returning the embrace. She looked at her son with a mixture of reassurance and compassion. Jesse smiled knowingly, mouthing _thank you_.

When Quinn let her go, she looked a little embarrassed as she wiped a few tears away. Jesse found it absolutely adorable. He opened the front door and the warmth caught up with them again.

"Sweetie, you're going to be just fine. If you need anything, give me a call, okay? And try not to worry so much, you're way too young not to believe it's going to be okay." Brooke told her, handing her a note with her cell number on it.

Quinn thanked her profusely before turning to Jesse, silently telling him she was ready to leave. He moved to hug his mother and she took that as her cue to go wait in the car.

"Quinn's a great girl. I'd love to give her parents a piece of my mind." Brooke spoke, her gaze following her as she walked off the porch.

"I know. She's better off without them, for now at least. She just needed a bit of encouragement from someone other than me, Mercedes or Kurt."

"Anytime. Now you don't be a stranger, okay? Calling only does so much."

"It'd be a lot better if you came to Lima, Uncle Tyler doesn't really feel like a mom." Jesse said. Although he was smirking, his mom still could see what he meant. She sighed, knowing they'd had that conversation several times.

He raised his hands in surrender, an apologetic look on his face. He leaned down to kiss her cheek before stepping outside. "Bye mom. Take care of yourself."

"You too, honey. Give my love to Tyler."

He nodded as he turned and got into the car, where Quinn was singing along to a song on the radio. 

_Hey everyone! I know it's been so long again since I updated but I am not kidding when I say I'm facing the busiest time of my life right now. I'm in the last year of high school and everything is coming at once. I wanted to add another part to this (it's so short, I know!) but I can't seem to get it out. I'm doing the very best I can so I hope you'll all stick with me. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, alerted and favorite. You mean everything._


	10. Chapter 10: Perfect & Scared

A short hour later they were sitting in a diner just outside of Lima. Jesse had insisted on eating something, if it'd only was to ask her a little about her conversation with his mother. He'd wanted to ask her on the ride home, but as it turned out they spent the whole time singing along to the radio.

He could see the visit had relieved some of her worries though, and he was glad. She had a lot of quirk when she was a bit carefree, dancing a little in the car seat next to him. The first time he'd heard her sing, he was a little stunned to hear her calming voice, that had almost an angelic tone to it. That day in the choir room he had heard a new sound to her voice, something... broken. He had even more respect for her after that. He wanted to ask her about it, but decided against it. It wouldn't have been fair after today.

They were talking about nothing much of importance for a while, which didn't mean it wasn't nice. "I'll be there for you" was playing in the background and that reminded him of something.

"You know, I do watch sitcoms."

Quinn shot him a glance and broke out into laughter at this sudden statement. "What?"

Jesse looked around the room, a little embarrassed at his sudden outburst. "When I talked to you the other day, I told you I didn't watch sitcoms. That's a little exaggerated."

"So you do know Friends?" Quinn asked, an amused smile on her face.

"I have all 10 seasons on DVD and I know some episodes by heart. Wow, I sound like such a dork now." He complained, reddening more by the second.

"That's one thing we have in common then. I always watch it when I feel down or just want a good laugh." She bit her lip and Jesse noticed she had to keep from giggling. "So you _did_know you used Joey's pick-up line on me? My my…"

Quinn knew she was cornering him but the look on his face was priceless.

"I just wanted to make you smile…" he said quickly, regretting he ever brought this up.

"And it worked. Thank -"

"Quinn, you need to stop thanking me all the time." he interrupted, reaching to put his hand over hers. She bit her lip again before catching his eye. "I'm your friend. I _want_to help you. Okay?"

She smiled gratefully and nodded. "Okay."

That night, he brought her home and she had no trouble falling asleep.

When Mr. Schue gave them their new assignment two days later, Quinn didn't hesitate to ask Jesse to be partners. Their voices sounded good together. Granted, they'd only sung in his car – unrehearsed and not prepared at all, but it worked. They all had to find a song that expressed something "you really want to say", it could be anything to anyone. And Quinn already had an idea.  
Jesse immediately agreed and so they practiced. A lot. It wasn't really necessary – they both knew the song by heart, but somehow it was important.

So when it was their turn, Jesse took Quinn's hand in his, guiding her to the piano.

"We have something we want to say. To all of you. I think the message is quite clear."

Everyone raised their eyebrows when she began to play with Jesse sitting beside her.

He began to sing and everyone's attention was theirs.

_"Made a wrong turn,  
Once or twice.  
Dug my way out  
Blood and fire.  
Bad decisions,  
That's alright,  
Welcome to my silly life."  
_  
Quinn took over as her fingers moved easily across the keys.

_"Mistreated, misplaced, misunderstood.  
Miss, no way it's all good.  
It didn't slow me down.  
Mistaken,  
Always second guessing,  
Underestimated,  
Look, I'm still around…"  
_  
But it sounded even better when their voices harmonized on the chorus.

_"Pretty, pretty please  
Don't you ever, ever feel  
Like you're less than  
less than perfect  
Pretty, pretty please  
If you ever, ever feel  
Like you're nothing  
You are perfect to me"_

"You're so mean  
When you talk  
About yourself  
You are wrong  
Change the voices  
In your head  
Make them like you  
Instead"

"So complicated  
Look how big you'll make it  
Filled with so much hatred  
Such a tired game  
It's enough  
I've done all I can think of  
Chased down all my demons  
see you do the same"

"Pretty, pretty please  
Don't you ever, ever feel  
Like you're less than  
less than perfect  
Pretty, pretty please  
If you ever, ever feel  
Like you're nothing  
You are perfect to me"

Quinn finished off with a few improvised notes but after she was done, she didn't dare to look up. Then the others started to clap and she felt Jesse nudge her shoulder and the smile on her face couldn't stay away. She looked up to see Jesse beaming at her... and Rachel standing up.

For a moment, Quinn thought she might slap her or yell at her for singing with Jesse, but the genuine smile that settled on the brown haired girl's face made her stand up as well. To her complete surprise, Rachel came up and hugged her, Jesse too.

"You two sounded great together. That song was amazing. I've always thought of P!nk's songs as slightly controversial but always right to the point. Great choice." she ranted a bit in typical Berry style, but no one was used to getting compliments from their 'captain'.

They both thanked her and Quinn was still smiling when she got home.

After Glee, the next day, Jesse walked alone down the parking lot through the rain and got into his car, throwing his leather jacket on the backseat. Rehearsal had taken longer than expected and it was already dark outside.

Today he had watched Rachel sing her heart out as she always did, but he hadn't felt _anything_romantic for her. He didn't hate or dislike her, but he no longer wanted to be with her. When she'd hugged Quinn the other day and told him that they sounded good, he got the message. She was no longer the possessive girlfriend, but the supporting friend.

Both of them were okay with that.

And of course he had spotted her holding hands with Finn. She looked happy, and that's what he wanted. It stung a little, but he recalled what Quinn had told him; as it turns out, they _were_endgame. He no longer wanted to be the one who stood in the way of that.

He turned the radio on and landed on a song he'd come across on Rachel's iFame (did you expect any other name from her?). It was Carrie Underwood's 'So Small' sounding through the speakers. He sang along for a bit (He could remember songs really fast, a blessing and a curse because he often had songs stuck inside his head for days in a row) but after a few minutes he saw something that had him slamming the brakes and backing up his car.

Quinn was walking alone through the rain with just a cardigan on and holding only a small umbrella. Quinn. _walking_. Alone.

She turned her eyes away from in front of her and watched the black BMW near her with suspicision and fear in her brown eyes. At least, he seemed to remember they were brown. For a moment she considered running away, but in her condition even walking was difficult, she'd stand no chance in hell.

Jesse realized she didn't recognize his car and so he quickly got out and walked up to her.

"Jesse? What are you doing?" she wanted to know when he was standing in front of her in the pouring rain with just a jacket on. She moved her umbrella to somewhat shield him from it but he moved closer to her to prevent _her_from getting more soaked.

"Come on, get in the car. It's freezing and you're getting wet, that's not healthy for you or the baby. Come on."

She wanted to protest, however he took her hand and guided her to the car door he held open for her. He gave her an encouraging nod when she didn't oblige at first and closed the door when she was inside. He threw the umbrella in his trunk before taking place in the driver's seat. He immediately turned the heat up as he went through his curls with his left hand. Quinn tried to get some of the water out of her braided hair, but it still dripped all over her clothes, causing her to shiver heavily. Jesse noticed it and he quickly leaned back to grab his jacket and draped it over her shoulders, rubbing her upper arms to warm her up a bit. She thanked him, with that meaningful smile he'd already seen that time in the choir room gracing her features.

"What are you doing walking home alone in the dark and in the pouring rain? If you get sick, both you and your girl could be in danger." he warned her in a harsher tone than he had intended.

"Why do you care?" she shot defensively, gripping his jacket more tightly around herself. She took in his cologne and instantly regretted her attitude. But he answered anyway.

"Because I do. You know I do. I'm your friend. I can't stand you being out there by yourself, I don't want anything to happen to you, okay? I'm sorry but I can't help it." he admitted, glancing at her to see her reaction.

She bit her bottom lip trying to keep her emotions controlled, but again, his words touched her. She didn't know what she had done to earn his care, but it was nice to know she had someone to fall back on from now on.

"But seriously, why didn't Puck give you a ride? Or Finn?" he wanted to know. Anger boiled up inside him when he thought about it. It was Puck's baby too, and even if that wasn't his biggest concern, if anything he should at least care about Quinn's health. And Finn, he had loved her. She may have lied to him but that doesn't mean he shouldn't still be civil.

She scowled at the mention of their names and she turned towards Jesse a bit more to explain.

"Puck had a date with Santana right after Glee Club and Finn... Well, he just started to look at me in a normal way and talking to me somewhat casually, so that's about all the amount of Finn I can handle right about now. Besides, he had to drive Rachel to ballet." she added in a softer voice, avoiding his gaze during that last bit.

Jesse raised his eyebrows in disbelief at her answer. He so wasn't convinced.

"So? Puck couldn't drop the mother of his child off first before he went on his date? Or Finn couldn't take you along? That's just pure crap."

"I don't care. I'd rather be in the car alone with you than third-wheeling with Puck or Finn." she said, and it was so obvious but so out of the blue that they both smiled like crazy.

They drove on a bit, talking about nothing of great importance until they pulled up at an intersection. Quinn gasped silently and then she just froze up. Jesse noticed this change in behavior and he looked around trying to find what she could be afraid of or surprised by but he saw nothing.

"Are you okay? What's the matter?" he asked her when she simply stared out the window.

Giving him no response or chance to react, she grabbed the door handle, took off his jacket and mumbled something under her breath.

"I'm sorry, I have to get out here. Thanks for the ride. See you tomorrow."

And then she just walked off into the pouring rain again. Jesse didn't know what hit him and he yelled her name before running out after her with his jacket in his hand.

* * *

_Here I'm back with another chapter! Finally, I know. But to make up for it, this one is extra long! The third part is one I've had written for a while, I just had some trouble getting there. I hope you all like it, if you do, please tell me so. Thanks for your continuing support._

_- Elien_


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